This invention generally relates to a bladed rotor assembly seal and a method of assembling a bladed rotor assembly seal.
Turbine engines include rotor spools comprising one or several rotor disks. Fluid seals are included on the rotor disks for sealing against fixed elements of the turbine engine. The seals separate a lower pressure gas path air from higher pressure, cooling air. Each of the rotor blades includes a blade portion and a root portion that is mounted within the rotor disk. The root portion is received within a slot within the rotor disk to secure and position the rotor blade.
The slots for each of the rotor blades are formed by a secondary machining operation to provide the desired fit between each of the rotor blades and the rotor disk. The slot extends entirely through the rotor disk including the seal. The resulting seal on the rotor disk is therefore interrupted at each position where a rotor blade slot is formed. Each rotor blade is then formed to include a surface that matches the seal profile. Because each rotor blade is matched to the seal profile, the complex seal profile is manufactured once for the rotor disk and again for each of the rotor disks. Therefore, the interfiting of each rotor blade creates a seal that comprises rotor disk portions and rotor blade portions segmented and interrupted about the circumference of the rotor disk.
The interface between each of the rotor blades and the rotor disk is held to close tolerances to provide the desired seal profile through each rotor blade and the rotor disk. As with any mating interface, some undesirable gaps or spacing will occur between a rotor blade and the rotor disk. Gaps between the rotor disk and the rotor blade can result in less than desired seal performance.